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She poses seductively while wearing a red and black Vionnet dress which shows off her slender frame to perfection.

Her new look may indicate a new mindset: the actress is ready to boldly go where she hasn't gone before.

Lady in red: The 32-year-old actress rocks a red leather jacket on her latest magazine cover

Fashion plate: The brunette beauty attends a Vanity Fair party in LA

'I feel ready…for the next chapter
of my life. I’m excited to begin a new phase: roles I might have been
afraid to play before, places I want to travel to with my daughter. I’d
like to build the design business', she says of her future plans,
hastening to add, 'But not too fast.'

She continues to surprise, stating that she's actually considering getting rid of her cell phone in an effort to simplify her life.

'I'm thinking about getting rid of
my [mobile phone]. Wouldn't it be great to have an old-fashioned phone
sheet? Go to your office, make your calls, and then continue with your
day?' she says.

Of five-year-old daughter Suri's
luck at having two famous parents, she says: Being around this business,
my daughter is exposed to people with incredible talent, people who are
the best at what they do. People I only dreamed of getting to work with
as a little girl.'

The Don't Be Afraid of the Dark star also reveals how she handles being a mother, actress and A-list wife.

'Because you have to,' she says. 'As an actress who is also a mother, you don’t have the luxury of drama.'

Next up for Tom Cruise's wife is a guest appearance on the Halloween episode of CBS' How I Met Your Mother as infamous character Slutty Pumpkin.

She will also star in the Adam Sandler comedy Jack & Jill, which hits American movie theatres on November 11.

Her Marie Claire will become available on American newsstands October 25.